If you’ve lived in Boston for a least a year, you likely have experienced the local phenomenon known as Allston Christmas — aka the city’s unofficial moving holiday when tenants move out and leave furniture + various items on the curb for grabs.
Call us the Grinch — we’re checking our list of the top 10 things we hate about the annual tradition, and we’re checking it twice.
10. The traffic — need we say more?
9. The plethora of dumpsters that, while convenient, take up necessary parking spaces. Bonus: The city has multiple drop off points for recycling clothes, shoes, and other household items.
8. The guilt from knowing you don’t have room for another cabinet (like the one you saw down the street that’s not from Ikea) but it might be time to upgrade the one you’ve outgrown.
7. When the only option is to double park to snag our treasures. Remember the unspoken rule: make room for moving trucks.
6. The temptation to add to our growing bookshelf + miscellaneous collection of random vintage items. Yes, we did need those Pyrex dishes.
Here’s your sign to browse those abandoned book piles.
Photo by @throughtherosetints
5. The disappointment we feel when someone picked up something from the sidewalk that you weren’t ready to part ways with. Reminder: Look for a sign that the item is free + up for grabs.
4. The craft projects added to our to-do list because the new bookshelf you acquired would look better with a darker stain or fresh coat of paint.
3. The fact that it feels like the whole city is synced on the same Sept. 1 rent cycle, so finding moving trucks is complicated, and waiting to call in a personal favor to anyone with a truck is like a game of Battleship: strategic with a bit of luck.
2. The congestion around the city from the drivers who ignore the warning signs on Storrow Drive. More on this topic soon.
1. And finally, in the words of Julia Stiles’ character Kat Stratford — “But mostly, we hate the way we don’t hate it at all.”
Happy hunting, Boston. Let us know what fun treasures you find.
